O

rbital
Tube Welding
Understanding the basic principles
behind orbital tube welding may
help you arrive more rapidly at the
optimum weld procedure for your
specific application.
By Bernard Mannion
and Jack Heinzman III

rbital welding was first

used in the 1960s, when
the aerospace industry
recognized the need for a
superior joining technique
for aerospace hydraulic lines. A mechanism was developed in which the arc from
a Tungsten electrode was rotated around
the tubing weld joint. The arc welding
current was regulated with a control system
thus automating the entire process. The
result was a more precision and reliable
method than the manual welding method it
replaced.
In the early 1980s, Orbital welding
became practical for many industries when
combination power supply/control systems
were developed that operated from 110
VAC. These systems were physically small
enough to be carried from place-to-place
on a construction site for multiple in-place
welds. Modern day orbital welding
systems offer computer control, where
welding parameters for a variety of applications can be stored in memory and later
called up for a specific application. Hence,
the skills of a certified welder are thus built
into the welding system, producing enormous numbers of identical welds and
leaving significantly less room for defects.

O RBITAL W ELDING E Q U I P M E N T
In the orbital welding process,
tubes/pipes are clamped in place, and an
orbital weldhead rotates an electrode and
electric arc around the weld joint to make
the required weld. An orbital welding
system consists of a power supply and an
orbital weldhead.
The power supply/control system
supplies and controls the welding parameters according to the specific weld program
created or recalled from memory This
supply provides the control parameters, the
arc welding current, the power to drive the
motor in the weldhead, and switches the
shield gas(es) on/off as necessary.
Orbital weld heads are normally of the
enclosed type, and provide an inert atmosphere chamber that surrounds the weld
joint. Standard enclosed orbital weld heads
are practical in welding tube sizes from
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) to 6 inches (152 mm)
with wall thicknesses of up to .154 inches
(3.9 mm). Larger diameters and wall thicknesses can be accommodated with open
style weld heads.

REASONS FOR USING ORBITAL

W ELDING E Q U I P M E N T

There are many reasons for using orbital

welding equipment. The ability to make

high quality, consistent welds repeatedly,

at a speed close to the maximum weld
speed, offer many benefits to the user:
1. Productivity. An orbital welding
system will drastically outperform
manual welders, many times paying
for the cost of the orbital equipment
in a single job.
2. Quality. The quality of a weld
created by an orbital welding system

(with the correct weld program) will

be superior to that of manual
welding. In applications such as
semiconductor or pharmaceutical
tube welding, orbital welding is the
only means to reach the weld quality
requirements.
3. Consistency. Once a weld program
has been established, an orbital
welding system can repeatedly

Orbital vs. Manual Welding

Can it save
you money?

WELDING EQUIPMENT COST JUSTIFICATION

The full cost of employees can be shocking when all payroll contributions and benefits are taken into
consideration. The following gives an overview of elements of employee payroll that may be hidden costs
now always considered in most calculations. These considerations are important to use when deciding
whether or not purchasing welding equipment is a viable option.
A welders basic wages vary somewhat acording to geographic location. Welders wages usually range
from $15 to $25 per hour. An average basic wage of $20 per hour was taken for the purposes of the
following calculations, however, you can adjust the numbers accoringly based on your own salary
dictates.

ANNUAL COST
Welders Wages
1) Average Welder pay: $20.00 per hour
Paid work hours per year: 2,080 (40 hours per week x 52 weeks per year)

$ 41,6000.00

Employer Payroll Contributions

2) Employer Social Security contributions - FICA @ 6.2 percent
$ 2,579.20
3) Federal Medicare @ 1.45 percent
$ 603.20
4) Federal Unemployment Tax - FUTA
$ 56.00
(0.26 percent, with annual cap per person of $56.00 per year)
5) State Unemployment Insurance - SUI/SUTA
$748.80
(Varies with employer and state 1.8 to 4.0 percent input your state value)
Annual Employee Base Cost: $ 45,587.20

Other Direct Employee Costs

The daily rate of these costs must be calculated on the annual employer base cost and not on the
employees wage cost. All calculations are based on a 260 day working year (52 weeks per year with five
days per week).
7) Paid national holidays: 10 days per year
$ 1,600.00
8) Paid vacation time: 10 days per year
$ 1,600.00
9) Allowable Time Off Days: average of seven days per year
$ 1,120.00
Sick time, medical leave, medical/drug testing, pregnancy, funeral/ bereavement
time, military leave, jury duty, witness duty, school activities, time off to vote, etc.
10) Medical insurance (average is usually $120.00 per month per employee)
$1,440.00
Incremented Employee Cost: $ 51,347.20
continued on next page F

Can It save You Money?

continued from previous page

Employee Direct overhead Costs

It is difficult to establish an exact figure for these costs, but it is important to give some value to their
weight in order to arrive at a fair final employee cost value. Taking a figure of approximately $20 per week
per employee gives an annual cost of $1,000.
11) Pension plans - 401K, etc
12) Educational assistance
13) Workmans compensation insurance
$ 1,000.00
14) Liability insurance required
15) Other insurances required.
16) Physical plant size required per employee
17) Plant maintenance required per employee
Incremented Employee Cost: $ 52,347.20

Indirect Employee Overhead Costs

Again, it is difficult to establish an exact figure for these costs, but it is important to give some value to
their weight in order to arrive at a fair final employee cost value. Taking a figure of approximately $20 per
week per employee gives an annual cost of $1,000.
18) Supervisor and management costs
19) Human resources/personnel dept costs
$ 1,000.00
20) Training costs
21) Cost of required equipment per person
Incremented Employee Cost: $ 53,347.20

Manual Operation (employee-related) Costs

These are costs associated with manual operations that most likely would be reduced with a more
mechanized operation.
Again, it is difficult to establish an exact figure for these costs, but it is important to give some value
to their weight in order to arrive at a fair final employee cost value. Taking a figure of approximately $20
per week per employee gives an annual cost of $1,000.
22) Additional quality control costs
23) Reject, scrap, and rework costs
$ 1,000.00
24) Customer relations, if bad parts shipped
25) Costs associated with customer use of a bad part.
Incremented Employee Cost: $ 54,347.20
(Approximately 1.3 times base employee cost)

Employee Output Efficiency

This is the issue that contributes to the highest cost factor of employees, when compared to purchasing
and using an automated welding system. No employee works at 100 percent speed for eight hours. Batch
setup times, clarification of orders, routine maintenance, and occasional output checks for quality, lunch
breaks, coffee breaks, bathroom breaks, human socializing, and fatigue all contribute to limiting the output
of an employee to an expected maximum. If an employer receives even 75 percent of an employees
potential output, they should consider themselves fortunate. When compared to subcontracting some of
the manufacturing operations, this effectively increases the final employee cost by a factor of 1/.75 = 1.33.
This brings the effective employee total cost to just over $72,000 per year.

perform the same weld hundreds of

times, eliminating the normal variability, inconsistencies, errors, and
defects of manual welding.
4. Skill level. Certified welders are
increasingly hard to find. With orbital
welding equipment, you don't need a
certified welding operator. All it takes
is a skilled mechanic with some weld
training.
5. Versatility. Orbital welding may be
used in applications where a tube or
pipe to be welded cannot be rotated or
where rotation of the part is not practical. In addition, orbital welding may
be used in applications where access
space restrictions limit the physical
size of the welding device. Weld
heads may be used in rows of boiler
tubing, where it would be difficult for
a manual welder to use a welding
torch or view the weld joint.
Many other reasons exist for the use of
orbital equipment over manual welding.
For example, applications where inspection
of the internal weld is not practical for each
weld created. By making a sample weld
coupon that passes certification, the logic
holds that if the sample weld is acceptable,
that successive welds created by an automatic machine with the same input parameters should also be sound.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR

ORBITAL TUBE WELDING

For orbital welding in many precision or

high purity applications, the base material
to be welded; the tube diameter(s); weld
joint and part fit-up requirements; shield
gas type and purity; arc length; and
Tungsten electrode material, tip geometry,
and surface condition may already be
written into a specification covering the
application.
Each orbital welding equipment supplier
differs slightly in recommended welding
practices and procedures. Where possible,
follow the recommendations of your orbital
equipment supplier for equipment set-up
and use, especially in areas that pertain to
warranty issues. Note that, this section is
only intended as a guideline for those applications where no specification exists. The
engineer responsible for the welding must
create the welding set-up, and derive the
welding parameters, in order to arrive at the
optimum welding solution.

WELDING BASICS AND SET -U P

The Physics of the GTAW Process
The orbital welding process uses the Gas

Tungsten Arc Welding process (GTAW), as

the source of the electric arc that melts the
base material and forms the weld. In the
GTAW process (also referred to as the
Tungsten Inert Gas process -- TIG) an electric arc is established between a Tungsten
electrode and the part to be welded. To start
the arc, an RF or high voltage signal
(usually 3.5 to 7 KV) is used to break down
(ionize) the insulating properties of the
shield gas and make it electrically conductive in order to pass through a tiny amount
of current. A capacitor dumps current into
this electrical path, which reduces the arc
voltage to a level where the power supply
can then supply current for the arc. The
power supply responds to the demand and
provides weld current to keep the arc established. The metal to be welded is melted by
the intense heat of the arc and fuses
together.

Material Weldability
The material selected varies according
to the application and environment the
tubing must survive. The mechanical,
thermal, stability, and corrosion resistance
requirements of the application will dictate
the material chosen. For complex applications, a significant amount of testing will be
necessary to ensure the long term suitability of the chosen material from a functionality and cost viewpoint.
In general, the most commonly used 300
series stainless steels have a high degree of
weldability with the exception of

change in heat number is make, a test

coupon should be make for the new heat.
Minor changes in amperage may be
required to return the weld to its original
profile.
It is important that certain elements of
the material be held to close tolerances.
Minor deviations in elements, such as
sulfur, can vary the fluid flow in the weld
pool, completely changing the weld profile
and causing arc wander.

Weld Joint Fit-Up

Standard enclosed orbital weld heads are

practical in welding tube sizes from 1/16
inch (1.6 mm) to 6 inches (152 mm) with
wall thicknesses of up to .154 inches (3.9
mm) Larger diameters and wall thicknesses can be accommodated with open
style weld heads.

303/303SE which contain additives for

ease of machining. For hundred series
stainless steels are often weldable, but may
require post weld heat treatment.
Accommodation must be made for the
potential differences of different material
heats. The chemical composition of each
heat batch number will have minor differences in the concentration of alloying and
trace elements. These trace elements can
vary the conductivity and melting characteristics slightly for each heat. when a

Weld joint fit-up is dependent on the

weld specification requirements on tube
straightness, weld concavity, reinforcement, and drop through. If no specification
exists, the laws of physics will require that
the molten material flow and compensate
for tube mismatch and any gap in the weld
joint.
Tubing is produced according to tolerances that are rigid or loose according to
the application for which the tube was
purchased. It is important that the wall
thickness is repeatable at the weld joint
from pat to part. Differences in tube diameter or out-of-roundness will cause weld
joint mismatch and arc gap variations from
one welding set up to another.
Tube and pipe end prep facing equipment is recommended in order to help
ensure end squareness and end flatness.
Both the O.D. and O.D. should be burr free
with no chamfer.
When two tubes are butted together for

,,,
y
,
yy
,,
,,,
,,,
,,,
,,,
,,,
y ,,, ,y,,,,
,
yy

For orbital welding, the goal is to have the minimum sufficient weld penetration to consistently weld through the tube wall.

,,
,,
,,
,,
,,
,,
,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

How electrode tip geometry affects the weld profile.

Weld Penetration Profile for Different Shield Gases

yy
,,
yy
,,
,,
yy
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
,,
yy
,,
yy
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,
yy
,,yy
,,
,,yy
yy
,,yy
,,yy
,,yy

The combination of the electrode tip geometry and shield gas can have a major effect on the weld penetration, weld quality, welding
speed, and electrode life.

yyyyy ,,,,,
,,,,,
yyyyy
Low Sulfur
Content
(less than .01%-100 PPM)

Normal Sulfur
Content
(less than .01%-100 PPM)

Surface tension temperature

coefficient negative

Surface tension temperature

coefficient positive

Minor changes in sulfur content can change weld pool flow characteristics with a
dramatic effect on penetration (The Maragoni Effect).

welding, two of the main considerations are

mismatch and gaps. In general, the
following rules apply:
Any gap should be less than five
percent of the wall thickness. It is
possible to weld with gaps of up to 1percent ( or greater) of wall thickness,
but the resultant quality of weld will
suffer greatly, and repeatability will
also become a significant challenge.
Wall thickness variations at the weld
zone should be +/- five percent of
nominal wall thickness. Again, the
laws of physics will allow welding
with mismatch of up to 25 percent of
wall thickness if this is the only challenge. Again, the resultant quality of
weld will suffer greatly, and repeatability will become an issue.
Alignment mismatch (high-low)
should be avoided by using engineering stands and clamps to align the

two tubes to be welded. This system

also removes the mechanical requirements of aligning the tubes from the
orbital weldhead.

thickness to be welded is heavy (.1" or

above). Using mixtures of 95 percent
Argon/five percent Hydrogen is incompatible with carbon steels and some exotic
alloys, often causing hydrogen embrittlement in the resultant weld. As a general
rule, for simplicity and reduction of shield
gas cost, use 100 percent Argon gas.
Gas purity is dictated by the application.
For high purity situations, where the
concern for micro-contamination is paramount, such as semiconduction and pharmaceutical applications, the shield and
purge gases must minimize the heat tint that
could otherwise be undesirable. In these
applications, ultra high purity gas or gas
with a local purifier are employed. For non-

Shield Gas(es)
An inert gas is required on the tube O.D.
and I.D. during welding to prevent the
molten material from combining with the
oxygen in the ambient atmosphere. The
objective of the welder should be to create
a weld that has zero tint at the weld zone
I.D.
Argon is the most commonly used shield
gas (for the O.D. of the tube and the purge
gas (for the I.D. of the tube). Helium is
often used for welding on copper material.
Mixed gases, such as 98 percent Argon/two
percent Hydrogen; 95 percent Argon/five
percent Hydrogen; 90 percent Argon/10
percent Hydrogen; or 75 percent Helium/25
percent Argon may be used when the wall

Using pre-ground electrodes ensures

that the electrode material quality, tip
geometry, and ground electrode surface
input to the welding process is constant.

welding.
Alternative, non-radioactive Tungsten
materials are now available, such as two
percent ceriated electrodes, which often
offer superior arc welding. While these
materials are commercially available they
have been largely ignored until recently.

Recommended Electrode Materials

A typical orbital tube weld. Note the

pulsed arc finish on the weld surface.

critical applications, commercial grade

argon gas may be used.

Tungsten Electrode
The Tungsten welding electrode, the
source of the welding arc, is one of the most
important elements of the welding system
that is commonly ignored by welding
system users. Users continue to manually
grind and wonder why they produce inconsistent results. Whether in manual or automatic welding, this is the area where manufacturing organizations can improve the
consistency of their welding output with
minor effort.
Basically, the objective for the choice of
Tungsten parameters is to balance the benefits of a clean arc start and reduced arc
wander with good weld penetration and
satisfactory electrode life.

Electrode Materials
For quite some time, Tungsten manufacturers have added an oxide to pure
Tungsten to improve the arc starting characteristics and longevity of pure Tungsten
electrodes. In the orbital welding industry,
the most commonly used electrode materials are two percent thoriated Tungsten and
two percent ceriated Tungsten.

Safety
The safety issues of Tungsten electrode
material are now being looked at more
closely. Many users of the TIG welding
process do not realize that the welding electrode the use contains Thorium, a radioactive element added to the Tungsten. While
the radioactivity is of a low level, it brings
an issue of danger, especially with the
radioactive dust that is generated when
grinding the electrodes to a point for

Cerium, as a base material, has a lower

work function than Thorium, offering superior emission characteristics. So, not only
do ceriated electrodes offer an advance in
electrode safety, they also improve the arc
starting ability of the orbital equipment.
However, as mentioned earlier, it is always
best to follow the advice of your orbital
equipment manufacturer.

14d and 60). Below is a summary chart

that illustrates how different tapers offer
different arc shapes and features:
Sharper Electrodes
Last less than blunt
Less weld penetration
Wider arc shape
Handle less amperage
Less arc wander
More consistent arc

Blunter Electrodes
Last longer
Better weld penetration
Narrower arc shape
Handle more amperage
Potential for more arc wander
Less consistent arc

To demonstrate graphically how the

taper selection will effect the size of the
weld bead and the amount of penetration,
the drawing on page 20 show typical representations of the arc shape and resultant
weld profile for different tapers.

Electrode Tip Geometry

Electrode Tip Diameter

Given the ever-increasing weld quality

requirements of the final weld, more and
more companies are looking for ways to
ensure that their weld quality is up to par.
Consistency and repeatability are key to
welding applications. The shape and
quality of the Tungsten electrode tip is also
being recognized as a vital process variable. Once a weld procedure has been
established, it is important that consistent
electrode material, tip geometry, and
surface condition be used.
Welders should follow an equipment
supplier's suggested procedures and dimensions first, because they have usually
performed a significant amount of qualifying and troubleshooting work to optimize
electrode preparation for their equipment.
However, where these specifications do not
exist, or the welder or engineer would like
to change those settings to possibly
improve and optimize their welding, the
following guidelines apply:

Grinding an electrode to a point is sometimes desirable for certain applications,

especially where arc starting is difficult or
short duration welds on small parts are
performed. In most cases, however, it is
best for a welder to leave a flat spot or tip
diameter at the end of the electrode. This
reduces erosion at the thin part of a point,
and reduces the concern that the tip may
fall into the weld. Larger and smaller tip
diameters offer the following trade-offs:

Many users of the TIG

welding process do not
realize that the welding
electrode they use contains
Thorium, a radioactive element added to the Tungsten.
Electrode Taper
This is usually called out in degrees of
included angle usually anywhere between

Smaller Tip
Easier to start
Less arc wander
Less electrode life
Less weld penetration

Larger Tip
Usually harder to start
More chance of arc wander
More electrode life
More weld penetration

Tungsten Electrode Grinder

and Pre-Ground Electrode
Using electrodes pre-ground to requirements or a dedicated commercial electrode
grinder to provide electrode tip quality and
consistency, offers the following benefits
to the user in their welding process:
Improved arc starting, increased arc
stability, and more consistent weld
penetration.
Longer electrode life before electrode
wear or contamination.
Reduction of Tungsten shedding. This
minimizes the possibility of Tungsten
inclusions in the weld.
A dedicated electrode grinder helps
ensure that the welding electrodes
will not become contaminated by
residue or material left on a standard
shop grinder wheel.
Tungsten electrode grinding equipment requires less skill to ensure that
the Tungsten electrode is ground

A Typical Weld Program Current Profile

This weld profile shows a single level of weld time. Orbital welding normally uses a minimum of four levels of weld time, with each
level decreasing in weld amperage as the tube heats up during the welding process.

correctly and with more consistency.

Pre-Ground Electrodes
Rather than risk electrode radioactivity
issues, and constantly endure the variability
of each operator grinding the electrodes
with a slightly different touch, many manufacturing organizations have chosen to
purchase electrodes pre-ground. Since a
small difference in the dimensions of an
orbital electrode can produce a big difference in the weld results, pre-ground electrodes are the preferred electrode choice to
maintain the consistency of your welding.
This low-cost option ensures that the electrode material quality, tip geometry, and
ground electrode surface input to the
welding process is constant. Consult electrode charts or a pre-ground electrode

supplier to obtain the electrode diameter

and tip geometry that is most suitable for
your welding application.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the important points to
remember are:
Orbital welding has been used by
many industries to improve the
quality and quantity of tube welding
when compared to what can be
accomplished by manual welders.
The effective cost of an employee
computes to be significantly more that
just his base salary. The output of a
$20 per hour skilled welder actually
costs over $72,000 per year (almost
twice his yearly base wage).
If a complete orbital welding system

costs between $15,000 and $20,000

and can output over twice the amount
of welding that a manual welder can
produce when the equipment will pay
for itself in a matter of months.
Finally, the volume of welds that are
produced by an automated welding
system will far exceed that of a
manual welder. In addition to weld
quality improvements, this will bring
two additional financial benefits:
One, increased output per day at
lower cost. Two, lowered scrap and
rework costs due to improved weld
consistency.

This reprint is adapted from a feature article published in the December 1999 issue of Flow Control.
For more information contact:

Elderfield & Hall / Pro-Fusion

10901 McBride Lane, Knoxville TN, 37932.

Phone: 865.671.7682. Fax: 865.671.7686.
Email: sales@pro-fusiononline.com
Website: www.pro-fusiononline.com